SOLAR ENERGY AND SOLAR POWER

Project by Valentina Isbasiou 9E

WHAT IS SOLAR ENERGY? WHEN DID WE START USING IT?

Solar

energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of everevolving technologies.

In the 3rd century B.C. the Greeks made history not for using solar energy for domestic comfort, but as a weapon of mass destruction! The story goes that a Roman naval force was sailing to sack the Greek citadel of Syracuse. With the help of the inventor Archimedes, the Greeks are reported to have used highly polished metal shields as mirrors to amplify and focus the rays of the sunand set fire to the advancing ships!

WHAT ARE SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES?

Solar energy technologies include: solar heating solar photovoltaics solar thermal electricity solar architecture artificial photosynthesis which can make considerable contributions to solving some of the most urgent energy problems the world now faces

ARTIFICIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Is a chemical process that replicates the natural process of photosynthesis, a process that converts sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and ox ygen. The term is commonly used to refer to any scheme for capturing and storing the energy from sunlight in the chemical bonds of a fuel (a solar fuel). Photo catalytic water splitting converts water into protons (and eventually hydrogen) and oxygen, and is a main research area in artificial photosynthesis.

SOLAR ARCHITECTURE

Is the integration of solar panel technology with modern building techniques. The use of flexible thin film photovoltaic modules provides fluid integration with steel roofing profiles that enhances the building's design. Orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air also constitute as solar architecture.

SOALAR THERMAL ELECTRICITY (STE)

Is a technology for harnessing solar energy for thermal energy (heat). Solar thermal collectors are classified by the United States Energy Information Administration as low-, medium-, or high-temperature collectors. Low-temperature collectors are flat plates generally used to heat swimming pools. Medium-temperature collectors are also usually flat plates but are used for heating water or air for residential and commercial use. Hightemperature collectors concentrate sunlight using mirrors or lenses and are generally used for electric power production.

SOLAR HEATING

A solar thermal collector is a solar collector designed to collect heat by absorbing sunlight. A collector is a device for converting the energy in sunlight, or solar radiation, into a more usable or storable form. This energy is in the form of electromagnetic radiation from the infrared (long) to the ultraviolet (short) wavelengths. The quantity of solar energy striking the Earth's surface averages about 1,000 watts per square meter under clear skies, depending upon weather conditions, location, and orientation of the surface. The term solar collector commonly refers to solar hot water panels, but may also refer to more complex installations such as solar parabolic apparatus, solar troughs, and solar towers; or less complex installations such as solar air heat. Solar power plants usually use the more complex collectors to generate electricity by heating water to produce steam which drives a turbine connected to an electrical generator. The less complex collectors are typically used in residential and commercial buildings for supplemental space heating.

PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM

Photovoltaic systems (PV system) use solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity. A system is made up of one or more photovoltaic (PV) panels, a DC/AC power converter (also known as an inverter), a racking system that holds the solar panels, electrical interconnections, and mounting for other components. Optionally it may include a maximum power point tracker (MPPT), battery system and charger, solar tracker, energy management software, solar concentrators or other equipment. A small PV system may provide energy to a single consumer, or to an isolated device like a lamp or a weather instrument. Large grid-connected PV systems can provide the energy needed by many customers. The electricity generated can be either stored, used directly (island/standalone plant), or fed into a large electricity grid powered by central generation plants (grid-connected/grid-tied plant), or combined with one or many domestic electricity generators to feed into a small grid (hybrid plant). Systems are generally designed in order to ensure the highest energy yield for a given investment.

SOLAR PANELS

A solar panel (also solar module, photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel) is a packaged, connected assembly of photovoltaic cells. The solar panel can be used as a component of a larger photovoltaic system to generate and supply electricity in commercial and residential applications. Each panel is rated by its DC output power under standard test conditions, and typically ranges from 100 to 320 watts. The efficiency of a panel determines the area of a panel given the same rated output - an 8% efficient 230 watt panel will have twice the area of a 16% efficient 230 watt panel. Because a single solar panel can produce only a limited amount of power, most installations contain multiple panels. A photovoltaic system typically includes an array of solar panels, an inverter, and sometimes a battery and or solar tracker and interconnection wiring.

PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS

A solar cell (also called a photovoltaic cell) is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. It is a form of photoelectric cell (in that its electrical characteristics e.g. current, voltage, or resistancevary when light is incident upon it) which, when exposed to light, can generate and support an electric current without being attached to any external voltage source. The term "photovoltaic" comes from the Greek (phs) meaning "light", and from "Volt", the unit of electro-motive force, the volt, which in turn comes from the last name of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, inventor of the battery (electrochemical cell). The term "photo-voltaic" has been in use in English since 1849. The operation of a photovoltaic (PV) cell requires 3 basic attributes: 1.The absorption of light, generating either electronhole pairs or excitons. 2.The separation of charge carriers of opposite types. 3.The separate extraction of those carriers to an external circuit.

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Iceland uses just renewable energy? Only 9.5% of the energy used in USA is renewable? China has the highest rate of electricity consumption, while India is on the second place and USA on the third? Saudi Arabia uses most of the energy for domestic usage, more than 50%? In the US many localities require a license to install a photovoltaic system? In the UK, PV installations are generally considered permitted development and don't require planning permission? EIA estimates that about 19% of world electricity generation is from renewable energy, with a projection of nearly 23% in 2035? EIA estimates that about 10% of world marketed energy consumption is from renewable energy sources (hydropower, biomass, biofuels , wind, geothermal, and solar), with a projection of 14% by 2035?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy http://solarmaxtechnology.wordpress.com/2012/11/13/the-history-ofsolar-power-solar-energy-in-ancient-times/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_heating http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_photosynthesis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_architecture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_thermal_electricity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_energy_consumption#Electricity_Fin al_Consumption_by_categories http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_photovoltaics#System_performance http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=527&t=1 http://www.google.ro/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&d ocid=vhFhS4Y4uuzKM&tbnid=0dEDdlHwaMLqlM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2 F%2Fthephotovoltaic.com%2F&ei=sZixUZnsKInfOvyVgPgK&bvm=bv.47 534661,d.ZG4&psig=AFQjCNEtnFY1kvqUPJfHoyTyG4vW2g2GA&ust=1370679850775348 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_panel